He was born in Marosvásárhely (Tirgu Mures), Romania on July 12, 1947. He studied composition with Sigismund Toduta and János Jagamas at the Kolozsvár (Cluj) Academy of Music between 1968 and 1973. After graduation, Orbán taught music theory at the Academy until 1979, the year in which he left Romania to settle in Hungary. He has since worked as music editor with Editio Musica Budapest. In 1989 his Triple Sextet was selected among Recommended Works at UNESCO's Tribute Internationale des Compositeurs in Paris. He left Romania in 1979 to settle in Budapest and has since taught music composition at the Ferenc Liszt Academy of Music. He is a very active composer who has written several instrumental pieces, still it is his attraction to the human voice that seems to be the most profound. The proof for this statement are his many-many songs, the four oratories, ten masses, two dozens of motets, ninety choral works and his opera: Prince Pikko.